Yi Tianxing was no stranger to the Flying Immortal Song & Dance Troupe. In truth, he knew quite a bit about them.
Most of the members had once been singers and performers from the modern world—remnants from the old civilization. After coming together in Great Yi, they formed a troupe unlike any other, pioneering a unique and revolutionary style of song and dance.
From the moment they formed, their fame had spread rapidly through Great Yi. And now, performing live at this grand banquet, their performance was being broadcast across the entire nation. One could say that they became legendary overnight.
After Sa Dingding's stunning solo performance, the rest of the troupe followed with equally mesmerizing acts: the Graceful Phoenix Dance, the Thousand-Handed Avalokiteśvara, and more. Each dance left guests astonished, immersed in a spectacular feast for the senses.
While enjoying fine delicacies and immortal fruits, guests basked in visual and auditory ecstasy.
A true dual banquet of body and soul—irresistibly intoxicating.
Some cultivators even broke through their bottlenecks during the festivities, as naturally as water flows downhill.
Everything seemed to be moving in the best direction.
Every honored guest was immensely satisfied.
Before long, the banquet was nearing its conclusion. The moon was about to reach its zenith when—
Suddenly, without warning, the void rippled as a mighty world glowing with mysterious yellow light emerged above Great Yi.
A streak of golden-yellow light surged across the sky, hovering over the imperial palace, resembling a heavenly ladder that pierced the Nine Heavens.
At the top of this celestial ladder, nine yellow dragons drew a magnificent and dignified chariot, its canopy covering the sky. A man wearing a mysterious yellow robe sat upon it, shrouded in mist and haze.
An overwhelming aura of divine authority emanated from him—majestic and absolute, like the will of Heaven itself.
And then—eight more vast worlds appeared.
Eight more heavenly ladders.
At the top of each, a different supreme ruler stood proudly in the void.
"That's... the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns."
Lü Dongbin's pupils contracted as he inhaled sharply.
"Why are the Nine Dao Sovereigns showing up here?"
"This isn't normal at all."
Both Han Zhongli and Zhang Guolao were stunned.
The origin of the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns was well known throughout the Eternal World.
They were born from fragments of Heavenly Dao authority—and evolved from the collective will of all living beings. In essence, each of them was a fragment of Heaven's Dao.
From the moment they emerged, they held supreme authority and could invoke the power of Heaven itself, rivaling any top-tier powerhouse.
They were true Saint-level entities.
Each one embodied a core law of Heaven—true Dao Sovereigns.
In the Eternal World, they were like cosmic keystones, unshakable pillars that anchored reality.
However, they weren't just impersonal tools of cosmic law.
Because they were born from rejected aspects of Heaven, they possessed emotions and desires—they were unpredictable, eccentric, and impossible to grasp.
Whereas the Heavenly Dao was impartial and devoid of sentiment, the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereignspossessed subjective will—for they were born from the cast-off aspects of emotion, desire, joy, and sorrow.
Thus, they were wild cards.
Each of them also ruled over a Great Thousand World—massive realms on par with the Eternal World itself. These domains were their sacred Dao grounds—their true strongholds, usually hidden and rarely revealed.
Even powerful cultivators who wished to visit them could not locate them, let alone earn an audience.
No one really knew who had met with the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns—if any had at all. It was a realm far above even most immortal sects.
And now, these elusive, unimaginable beings were manifesting directly in the sky, for all to see.
No one could ignore them.
Their presence was a statement—a declaration.
These nine were also considered one of the trump cards of the Eternal World in its battle against Eternal Night.
Their true goals, however, remained unknown.
"Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns?"
Yi Tianxing also looked skyward.He was no stranger to these beings—he had even interacted with one in the past, though it was disguised as a mere game.
Even from that brief encounter, he could tell that their personalities were bizarre, unfathomable, and extremely unpredictable.
Logically, the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns should never have received invitations to the Peach Banquet. Great Yi had no way to contact them.
And yet—they came.
And all nine arrived together.
Even Yi Tianxing was momentarily stunned.
Elsewhere—in a hidden Hydra Organization base—
A white-robed figure stared at his black-robed counterpart, shocked.
"The 'Heavens' you spoke of... you meant the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns of the Eternal World?!How could someone like you even reach them—let alone manipulate them?!What did you do?!"
The white robe's voice trembled. "You might've just doomed us all. Even the Eternal Night will be furious if this backfires. We're already under scrutiny because of the Heavenly Demon God Weapons. If this turns into another disaster... we'll suffer a fate worse than death."
"Relax," the black robe replied coolly."I merely gave them what they wanted.I didn't force anything, nor did I leave a trace to follow.Hydra will be fine."
His voice brimmed with confidence.
"They got an offer they couldn't refuse.That's all that matters."
"It had better be," the white robe said grimly."Let's see how this plays out."
Back at the Peach Banquet—
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly toward the heavens:
"For the nine Dao Sovereigns to grace my Immortal Peach Festival,it is a blessing beyond compare.Might you be willing to descend and join us at the banquet?I, Yi Tianxing, would be honored to receive you."
Then, a cold and thunderous voice echoed across the skies:
"Well, well… Emperor Yi.What a marvelous Peach Banquet.And yet, the banquet is already nearing its end—and only now do you invite us to attend?What is the meaning of this?"
His words were laced with heavenly pressure, and thunder crackled in the sky as if Heaven itself were furious.
All of Xuanhuang Immortal City trembled under this invisible might—a storm threatening to consume everything.
"Impossible!" Yi Tianxing's pupils narrowed."Every invitation clearly stated the banquet began on New Year's Eve at nightfall.That's when the Rainbow Bridge would activate to receive guests.All invitations were identical—there's no way the time could've been altered.None!"
He refused to shoulder the blame.To suggest Great Yi invited divine guests to eat leftovers at the very end was an insult of cosmic proportions.
He would never allow such a farce to stain his empire.
"You think this sovereign would lie to you?"
"See for yourself."
A beam of light descended from the heavens, falling directly toward Yi Tianxing.
It was casually thrown by Huangtian Dao Sovereign.
Yi Tianxing reached out to grab it—
—but instantly felt as if he had seized a spinning blade, its terrifying sharpness threatening to slice through his fingers.
However, Yi Tianxing responded with Lingxi Finger, unleashing his inner might to dispel the force embedded in the invitation.
A subtle test from the Dao Sovereign—And one that Yi Tianxing withstood.
The object in his hand was an invitation.
Opening it, he found a perfect replica of Great Yi's official Peach Banquet invitation—but with one change:
The date had been altered.
It now invited the bearer to arrive at the stroke of midnight—when the old year ends and the new begins.
Which was, in fact, the end of the banquet.
Everything else about the invitation was exactly the same.
To the Dao Sovereigns, this was an insult.
They were not ordinary guests.
And now they were being told to attend only for the scraps?
Even if unintentional, it was an affront—a grave humiliation.
This was not something they would overlook.
But Yi Tianxing saw something deeper.
"This was deliberate…Someone wants this to happen."
A spark of realization flashed in his mind.